The journal of the instant invention was invented for use in the field of wind turbines. In particular, the journal is used to mount the blades of the wind turbine to the central rotor such that the pitch of the blades can be adjusted as the rotor rotates. Adjustment of blade pitch is the mechanism used in the wind turbines under discussion to maintain a constant RPM of the turbine rotor, and to prevent the mechanism from running away under high wind conditions and causing the entire wind turbine to crash.
When the wind turbines were used with prior art journal mechanisms, in time the oxidation of the bearings reduced the diameters of the bearings slightly, and at the same time introduced an abrasive oxide powder into the journal mechanism. The slightly loose bearings coupled with this abrasive powder, would continue to grind away at both the bearings and the bearing races (roller bearings were used previously), causing a brinelling of the races, creating cavitated areas which eventually caused the journal to freeze up, or at least become stiff enough that the pitch adjusting mechanism was thwarted by the bearing.
With the blade pitch adjustment mechanism incapacitated, it would be just a matter of time before a high wind condition would arise to which the pitch adjustment mechanism could not respond, causing a runaway rotor condition and a flying apart and crashing of the entire turbine assembly.
Occurrence such as this indicated a need for an anti-brinelling journal. The two principal causes of brinelling (first, the wearing of the bearing element until it is loose, permitting wobbling and vibration; and second, the generation of abrasive oxide within the journal mechanism as the bearing wears), indicated that a journal which is oil-filled to prevent oxidation of the bearing elements, and the utilization of some type of pressure mechanism to keep a steady force on the bearings, even as they wore somewhat, were indicated as the solution to the problem.